Getting into tip-top shape is always tough when you’re just starting out. The real challenge isn’t lifting the weights themselves, but building the mindset and consistency to keep up with your craft and creating workout results you're aiming for. Additionally, finding the best route to reach your goals is a road in itself. Whether or not bulking or cutting is best for you will be a challenge depending on those goals.
Luckily, once you know the terms and are familiar with the results you can expect, making a choice gets much easier. Then it just comes down to executing on your end.
With Troomy, we prioritize fitness and athletic performance to get the absolute most out of every workout. Using cordyceps mushrooms in our Boost blend, you generate stronger daily performance in the weight room, on the track, or anywhere you get your workout in. Here are some tips from our team at Troomy for successful bulking and cutting today, how mushrooms can best be utilized in support of bulking or cutting, and preparing your daily routine for the perfect combination of benefits.
Tools You’ll Need to Be Effective in the Weight Room
Mindset
Mindset might be more impactful than any other characteristic of your being. Without a positive mindset that you can rely on, you're not going to get anywhere meaningful for you. Dominate your daily routine with a better mindset that feeds into improved workout results.
To start, evaluate your self relationship. Finding resources like therapy or working through your self care with more intent can be a huge improvement to your daily mindset overall.
Support Team
On top of a positive mindset, your surrounding environment will be heavily impacted by the support team you keep in your life. Getting friends in the building and surrounding you is going to play a big role into how you push yourself forward. Even if the only positive voice you hear all day is your own, it needs to be there.
Achievable Goals
Similar to having a strong support team, goals will both keep you motivated and accountable. Find the perfect middle ground with your goals for cutting or bulking that are difficult but not impossible. Then, you can progress to continue being positive and seeing the change you’re aiming for. Remember: The first two weeks of a new routine loses the majority of athletes to give up. Set goals for yourself that are achievable and still challenging, and you’ll greatly minimize the risk of quitting on yourself.
Equipment and Nutrition
Nutrition will also have a huge impact on your results as well. In fact, most of what bulking really is just ties into the nutrition and supplement choices you make on a daily basis. Don’t sell yourself short with poor nutrition. Give yourself a strong chance to be successful by having veggies, proteins, and starches in every meal regardless of if you’re bulking or cutting. The volume of each will just be adjusted around your target results.
Bulking Benefits and Overview
Bulking refers to elevating your calorie intake just beyond your recommended daily value by at least 10%, which helps generate more weight more quickly. This allows you to quickly put on the pounds for what target weight you’re going for. Think of it as adding clay to a sculpture. You don’t mold it until it’s on the sculpture itself.
Fewer Reps, More Weight
Adding more weight to your sets is an awesome way to get going if you’re looking to bulk fast. Test your limits and push your PRs more consistently with bulking strategies, and keep the protein supplements layered into your regimen as well. Together, these strategies will make an impact in strength over toning, and allow you to dominate the weight room. It might not happen overnight, but with time, you'll start killing new PRs before you know it.
Changing Up Your Diet
Calorie intake should increase more prominently if you’ve been out of weight training a long time, or are still being introduced to it. Also, find foods that pair well with this calorie intake and are able to give you the energy you need. Everyone’s body is a bit different, and while some may need a few more veggies, others might need to pack on the proteins.
As we covered before, the best middle ground is to start with starch, veggie, and protein in every meal, and adjust accordingly based on how your weight fluctuates week to week. Take a look at how factors like protein impact weight management here. Then, you’ll have a good estimation of how you’re doing, what needs to be increased or decreased, and how you’re going to make that happen.
Carbs, Proteins, Fats
Calories come from these three factors in your diet every day. Meshing them together and finding the perfect combination will take time, but consider here what some experts have to say as the target points of calories for your daily values.
Cutting Overview
Quite similar to bulking, you take that added calorie intake and just remove it from your daily values. However, it’s common to at least have that muscle foundation in place first before you go for a cut. Remember: fat loss and cutting are pretty much the same thing. The only difference is the goal/mindset of how you approach cutting.
For example, weight loss generally won’t target a particular muscle group or area of the body. Weight loss is weight loss. Cutting, however, can be a choice that you adjust around a targeted muscle group and fat loss.
Avoiding Muscle Loss While Cutting
Keeping your muscle on has to be a systemic choice that you make while cutting. That means watching your calorie intake and adjusting as you need to. For example, if you are aiming for two pounds a week or so of fat loss, and you are lowering your calorie intake to do so while still working out, measure the results as you go.
Cardio, Cardio, Cardio
You don’t have to do cardio if you’re going to cut. But it makes it a lot easier. The trick is going to be keeping your energy high enough to be able to incorporate cardio in on top of your usual weight training, especially if you plan to do considerable cardio.
Luckily, there are a ton of places for you to turn in order to get quick relief for increased energy, better sleep/recovery, and more.
Natural Boosts That Can Make Cutting or Bulking Easier
Cold Showers
These are going to be tough to acclimate with. However, once you get cold showers under your belt, you should find your new fitness routine to be much easier, given the natural health benefits and boosts of energy that cold showers are linked to.
Motivational Music and Meditation
Meditating is a game-changer for life in general. You’ll find yourself at peace more easily with consistent meditation, as well as more productive when you’re doing intensive weight training.
In tune with meditation, you can use music to keep yourself on track with your new weight training goals. Motivational music is a very real contributor to being your most productive self. Additionally, it is completely customizable around your personality, which keeps it fresh and keeps you at your best for longer.
For any inspiration, we have a great playlist here to give a try!
Mushroom Nootropics
With this sturdy plan in place and all your new habits developing for bulking or cutting, you’re going to need a bit of extra energy as well. Luckily, Team Troomy has an awesome solution.
Mushrooms are superfoods today that most athletes today don't utilize to their full advantage. Outside of the handful you cook with, there are several species that are called "adaptogenic," or "functional mushrooms that can quickly support your daily routine as reliable supplements. This includes mushrooms like Red Reishi, Lion's Mane, Cordyceps, and more. For a bit more info on these individual mushrooms, meet these functional mushrooms here.
Boost as Your New Pre-Workout
Regardless of if you're going for bulking or cutting, cordyceps are a powerful support as a natural superfood. They have been linked to:
- Better fatigue regulation
- Stamina increase
- Improved Immunity
- Regulated body stress
At Troomy Nootropics, we’ve been lovingly crafting cordyceps and other organic blends of these mushroom nootropics for the past year to support your fitness goals today. These blends use functional mushrooms to support better energy, moods, restful sleep, and more. Luckily, it’s easier than ever to get started.
